As much as I love a deepfake Anakin Skywalker, it might be wise to get more AI-focused firewalls in place prior to the next federal election.

Many have raised red flags around AI (artificial intelligence), with numerous tech types having signed a statement referring to it as one of our greatest existential threats.

害羞草研究所淢itigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,害羞草研究所� reads the statement, shared by the Center for AI Safety.

I hadn害羞草研究所檛 thought of deepfakes as being part of that threat, at least not I recently started seeing ads that didn害羞草研究所檛 sit right.

Deepfakes use a type of AI to create imagery and audio. If you害羞草研究所檙e a Star Wars fan like myself, you got a taste of deepfake AI in Gareth Edwards害羞草研究所� movie Rogue One, where it was used to recreate the likenesses of the later Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing. Continuing on that theme, I love comedian/impersonator Charlie Hopkinson害羞草研究所檚 YouTube videos in which he critiques Star Wars films while deepfaked to look like disheveled characters from the movies (his Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi slay me).

Curiously, while watching these Hopkinson gems and other Internet content, I recently started seeing scam ads featuring likenesses of other real-life celebrities. One had Elon Musk rabbiting on about how you need to invest in, er, whatever. (Apparently, artificial Elons have been shilling get-rich schemes for a while now online.) Another scam circulating on social media features a deepfake of YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, aka Mr. Beast.

害羞草研究所淟ots of people are getting this deepfake scam ad of me 害羞草研究所� are social media platforms ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem,害羞草研究所� Donaldson commented on X (formerly Twitter).

Lots of people are getting this deepfake scam ad of me害羞草研究所� are social media platforms ready to handle the rise of AI deepfakes? This is a serious problem

害羞草研究所� MrBeast (@MrBeast)

Regardless of what you think of Mr. Beast, he is right; it is a serious problem, and not just in the threat it poses to celebrities. Deeper, darker deepfake concerns have been raised around exploitation and intimidation.

And then there害羞草研究所檚 politics.

This week, the Canadian government害羞草研究所檚 Communications Security Establishment (CSE) issued an alert stating 害羞草研究所渃yber threat activity is more likely to happen in Canada害羞草研究所檚 next federal election than in the past.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淐yber threat actors are increasingly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance online disinformation. It害羞草研究所檚 very likely that foreign adversaries or hacktivists will use generative AI to influence voters ahead of Canada害羞草研究所檚 next federal election.害羞草研究所�

Though the statement doesn害羞草研究所檛 speak specifically to deepfake AI, it is an increasingly accessible tech tool that I wouldn害羞草研究所檛 be surprised to see utilized to manipulate perceptions and sway voters one way or another.

And in a country where, according to a recent Leger poll, 11 per cent of us believe the earth is flat, those hacktivists don害羞草研究所檛 exactly have their work cut out for them.

While CSE assures it害羞草研究所檚 doing what it can to protect Canada害羞草研究所檚 democratic process, the Canadian Bar Association argues criminal law doesn害羞草研究所檛 go far enough to protect the public from harm posed by targeted deepfakes.

Unfortunately, technology advances quickly, and unless a concentrated effort is made to put necessary protections in place, we害羞草研究所檙e soon going to find the line between reality and deepfake much more difficult to discern, let alone agree upon.

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